I use the following five questions to upgrade the thinking of my clientele.

I encourage you to use these as well.

Question 1: What’s Your Goal?

“We have all been in situations where we’ve almost enjoyed wallowing in negative emotions. We nurse a grudge against someone who said something hurtful, or we sulk in response to being disappointed. But what is the end result? Will acting on the negative emotion move us in the direction of our highest good? Will that negative emotion bless those closest to us? Will it help us reach our goals? In a marriage spat, for example, is the goal to be right or to be happy?

What’s your goal?

I bombard my clients with this question for the purpose of activating their God-given reason and conscience, thereby enhancing their spontaneous decision making. Your goal should act as a filter, eliminating words, behaviors, and other emotional responses that oppose it.”

From p.213 of 40 Days to a Joy Filled Life.

By asking the question, you’re going to make better MICRO-CHOICES all day long.

We make so many small choices every day and we don’t notice them, but they accumulate.

Over time, those small choices add up.

“As a parent, for example, your emotional responses can be tempered by a clearly stated parenting goal-such as communicating love, not impatience, to your children- that weeds out irresponsible parental reactions regardless of their apparent justification.

Certainly, you will have negative triggers in your life from time to time. Fortunately, Got has provided a little gap of opportunity for his most valuable creation. This tiny space between stimuli and your response to it gives you a chance to think before you react. This will shape not only your potential for joy but also your destiny as a human being.

What’s your goal?”

What’s your goal?

Ask yourself: “What’s my goal?”

Don’t let the radio, or music, or social media drive you’re thinking.

YOU drive your own thinking by thinking about your goals.

I have found that decision making is very difficult if we are not clear on our goals.

Ask “WHAT’S MY GOAL” daily!

Question 2: What’s the most valuable use of your time right now?

Ask yourself: Whats the most valuable use of my time right now?

Constantly check yourself. Ask this question over and over again thought the day.

When you constantly ask yourself this question it prevents you from drifting off track.

Often, in the work environment, we drift towards the activities that are third in importance or second in importance.

The purpose of this question is to steer us back to number one.

Closely related is the next question…

Question 3: Whats important now?(W.I.N.)

I remember when my oldest son Ty was in the first or second grade and I wanted to help him stay focused in class.

Before parent’s night, I had a bunch of business cards created with “W.I.N. What’s Important Now” printed on them.

I went in on parent’s night and stuck a whole bunch of them in his desk (and later his book bag) so that he would eventually see them…and see them over and over again.

My goal was to prompt him repeatedly to remember our conversations about goals and focus.

Ask yourself early and often, “What’s important now?.”

What was important yesterday, an hour ago, or even fifteen minutes ago, may not be what is important NOW.

So ask throughout the day!

Question 4: Is it optimal?

This questions means a lot to me. It is very simple.

Is it optimal?

Or

Is this optimal?

The reason this is so profound is because we often settle for okay or fine.

Have you seen those AT&T commercials?

“Just OK is not OK”

I often open my talks with these videos.

Sometimes we get used to things being okay.

As long as its not “bad” we accept it.

You want to start asking yourself “Is it optimal?”

There are some things that are sub-optimal and there are things that are optimal.

Always pursue optimal.

…With how you run your life.

…With what you’re eating.

…With what you’re thinking.

Is this optimal?

Question 5: What’s the number one thing you could be doing, that if you did it constantly, would have the most positive impact on your life?

What is it?

This is a question that you can not escape or avoid.

We could tailor this question specifically for different areas of your life.

What’s the number one thing you could be doing, that if you did it constantly, would have the most positive impact on your marriage?

What’s the number one thing you could be doing, that if you did it constantly, would have the most positive impact on your financial life?

These questions harness both your creativity and your ability to focus tightly on what really makes a difference.

These questions move you toward optimal, toward the best that is possible.